Breastfeeding: Why I love it.

Nursing somehow came up the other day while I was in the makeup room getting ready for Studio 5. A colleague asked me what I liked about it. I immediately told her how much I love nursing and that I am a total advocate of it, but I didn't have time to share some of the reasons I love breastfeeding and some of the observations I've made over the last 10 months.

→ It takes some getting used to.

I remember thinking to myself, "Oh my, is this how my boobs are going to feel forever?" They were engorged and I had sore nipples. It was uncomfortable, but it didn't last forever. Think about pregnancy. It's not always comfortable, and it lasts 9 months. I was nauseous for the first 20 weeks. My boobs felt normal again after 6 weeks. Nursing was also something I had never done before. Of course it was going to take some getting used to, I'd never done it before.

→ Support is a must.

I come from a long line of breastfeeders, so I had a built in support system. When I was in the hospital, I had the lactation consultant come to my room a number of times. It is critical to get all the help and support you can.

→ You can't stress.

I was lucky. My milk came in the day I got home from the hospital, and I didn't even feel it. Linley latched on right away, and has always been a good nurser. I think part of the reason it went so smooth is because I didn't stress. I let my body do what it was made to do. (It helped that my Mom didn't allow me to stress.) I also think it's easy to stress that you're baby isn't getting enough, or you're not making enough milk. It's all about supply and demand. Who says you aren't making enough milk? Unless your baby is losing weight, your'e probably making plenty. And, you have to remember for the first little bit your body is trying to figure out how much to make. It's always changing, so is your baby.

→ You don't have to supplement.

I'm sure there are times and reasons when supplementing is necessary, but most of the time it's not. Back to supply and demand. Your baby tells your body how much milk to make. If your baby is getting formula, he or she will need less milk.

→ There's not a magic number.

Our husbands typically eat more than we do. And, I may eat more than my sister or friend. We all eat different amounts, so to think that every baby is going to eat the exact same number of ounces is silly. The other day I pumped for the first time in a long time. I got nothing out of one, and about 4 ounces out of the other. I started to stress a little, and worried maybe she wasn't getting enough ... but she's fine. She's happy and she's eating baby food so the ounces are going to vary.

→ Time to rest.

Nursing ensures that a mom sits down and relaxes throughout the day. Linley only takes a few minutes to nurse now, but I cherished the hours and hours I was able to sit down and take a break and nurse.

→ The bond factor.

It's such a great time to bond with your baby. I love that breastfeeding is something only I can do with my baby.

→ It's what's best for baby.

The nutrition is amazing. Colostrum and breast milk are full of everything a baby needs to grow and develop. It's a power food.

A girl I went to college with started a project called At Mother's Breast. Click here to read more about the project. I've really enjoyed hearing other mom's thoughts on breastfeeding.